WATER CATCHMENT AND RIVER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP GAIRLOCH

1. WATER CATCHMENT AND RIVER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP GAIRLOCH This workshop Highlights ENVIRONMENTAL Packages within the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) that, when applied to water catchment and river quality improvement, contribute to achieving Regional Rural Priorities. Describes the various Options that can be used to deliver these Packages. Gives an outline of the application process.   It does NOT aim to Deliver a comprehensive portfolio of all SRDP options available to all farmers or answer every detail about applying for SRDP.

2. Scottish Rural Development Programme • The SRDP is a £1.6 billion programme of economic, environmental and social measures designed to develop rural Scotland over the next five years. • Measures will be delivered through various sources, we will look at Rural Development Contracts.

3. Rural Development Contracts (RDCs) • Generate benefits for the people of Scotland (NOT to give landowners money to do good things - keep at back of mind at all times) • Competitive, outcome-led and priorities driven (unlike past schemes) • One stop shop (HUGE CHOICE= deluge of info and this is just one tiny bit) • Applications as big or little as want (but costs about £1000 to apply) • RDCs deliver Regional Priorities of SRDP, we are interested in two: Biodiversity and Water Quality

4. Biodiversity Priorities • Biodiversity Priorities "A halt in the loss of biodiversity and reverse previous losses“High Score for: • Biodiversity Action Plan species (salmon, sea trout, brown trout, artic char, lamprey). • Biodiversity Action Plan habitats (reedbeds, lochs, lochans, rivers, streams, wet and riparian woods). • Interpret or raise awareness of Highland biodiversity. • planted Ancient Woodland Sites.

5. SSSIs, SACs, SPAs and Ramsar sites being in 'favourable condition' by 2010. High score for: • action which contributes to nationally important nature sites achieving 'favourable condition' . • Proposals which involve collaboration.

6. Viable populations of Species Action Framework species. High score: • Black Grouse, Red Squirrel, Wildcat, Water Vole, White-tailed Eagle, Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Pine Hoverfly, Woolly Willow and Hen Harrier. • Reduce threat from non-native species. • Eradicate/control Rhododendron and Japanese Knotweed. Increase connected natural habitats through collaboration and whole ecosystem approach. High score • increase the area of connected natural habitats such as landscape-scale approaches to deer management and riparian/wetland corridors.

7. Water and Soils Priorities Reduce diffuse pollution from land uses. High Score: • reduce risk of diffuse and point source pollution adjacent to water bodies categorised as at risk in Scotland River Basin Plan (2009 - 2015). • catchment wide proposals. • return the water body to good or better ecological status or potential.

8. Improved protection in areas at risk from erosion or flooding through management of existing habitats or the creation of appropriate habitats (e.g. floodplains and along river edges). High Scores: • reduction erosion in riparian and heavily grazed areas (e.g. Docharty Burn). • create habitat to protect and enhance biodiversity.

9. Priorities are achieved by implementing a choice of Packages. Questions?

10. PACKAGES There are 37 Packages that can be used to implement Regional Priorities. Every Package relates to one or more Priority. Every Package contains a number of Options which can be used to implement the Package.

11. Relevant Packages • Running and Standing Waters • Native woodlands and Associated Habitats and Species • Reducing Diffuse Pollution • Improved Water Resource Management • Sustainable Flood Management

12. Package: Running and Standing Waters Scotland's fresh waters are important assets, providing habitat for Atlantic Salmon, Otter, Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Threats include salmon spawning becoming smothered, fish kills, damaged vegetation and invasive plants. This package aims to improve the physical and chemical characteristics of fresh waters.

13. Suitable Options to implement the Running and Standing Waters Package in Wester Ross include the following. NOTE other options exist within the package AND some Options occur in more than one Package.

14. Skills development • Soil and water management programme • Control of invasive non-native species • Water margins and enhanced riparian buffer areas • Management of flood plains • Woodland creation - Naturally regenerated native woodland • Woodland creation - Native woodland planting

15. Contextual up to this point, now nitty gritty. Questions? Some of these Options are elaborated on below.

16. Option: Skills Development • This Option will improve land management skills amongst land managers to deliver the environmental objectives of the SRDP. • Information and Communications Technology (ICT) • Conservation and environmental skills • Self and staff management • Looking at new ways of working • Technical skills • 75% of the cost of training, with course fees based on actual costs.

17. Option: Soil and Water Management Programme (SWMP) SWMP assess erosion, compaction and losses of organic matter risks to soil and water and devises management practices to address them. Option 1: Prepare a SWMP Draw up a SWMP and use it to support applications for the SRDP Options which it identified as measures to minimise the risks. Option 2: Implementmeasureswhere no SRDP Option is available. Where a SWMP identifies site-specific measures which cannot be funded elsewhere within the SRDP (such as placement of boulders to reduce bank erosion), identify the measures to be carried out, the improvements expected to be achieved, and the costs involved.

18. Costs Supported • Option 1 50% of the cost of plan preparation up to a maximum payment of £300. • Option 2: Funding a proportion of costs up to a maximum £30 per hectare based on the area to which the measure is to apply. Normally no more than 40% of the costs paid.

19. Option: Control of Invasive Non-native Species • Rhododendron and Japanese knotweed. At the end of year five must be no Rhododendron or Japanese knotweed present. Applications must be collaborative. • Rhododendron - manual, mechanised with chemical follow up and chemical control. • Japanese knotweed - chemical control and digging out. • Submit a 1:10,000 map identifying area affected and percentage for treatment. • In addition to capital items, financial support of up to 100% of eligible actual costs is available on SSSIs and Natura features.

20. Manual eradication - £3500 per hectare of infested land. Mechanised eradication with chemical follow up - £850 per hectare of infested land. Chemical eradication - £850 per hectare of infested land. Japanese knotweed - £160 per ha. per annum.

21. Option: Water Margins and Enhanced Riparian Buffer Areas • Protect water margins from erosion and diffuse pollution by distancing agricultural activity. Encourages waterside unfertilised grass/woodland buffers that stabilise banks, intercept overland water flow and trap sediment. • Water margin requirements are related to bed width and habitat from 6 to 20m. • A Management Plan to deliver biodiversity or water quality benefits and to create buffer strips. It should describe the existing vegetation and outlines management objectives and how they will be achieved.

22. Choices within the Option 1. To enhance biodiversity interest Light grazing in late summer/early autumn to maintain a sward height between 10 and 15 cm.

23. 2. To reduce diffuse pollution Control rank growth to maintain a close, even sward, either by light grazing as in Choice 1 or by mowing to reduce the sward height to between 10 to 15 cm in late Summer/early Autumn.

24. In both cases: • control grazing to avoid poaching and damage to banks • farm livestock must have access to adjacent fields • no applications of lime, fertilisers, farmyard manure or pesticides • control scheduled weeds and invasive non-native species • no cultivation • do not clear existing drains or cut new drains • do not modify or reinforce the river or loch banks • SRDP finance is available to install water troughs • no supplementary feeding • use native species of trees of local origin.

25. Costs Supported • The following are examples of Capital Items that may be claimed: • fencing, gates and fence removal • water trough • bringing drains/culverts to the surface. • In addition to the above capital items there is 100% financial support of eligible costs in respect to Capital works on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Natura features.

26. Rates • 5-year commitment which pays £286.63 per hectare per year.

27. Option: Management of Floodplains • Creates and maintain a mosaic of wash lands and dry lands by allowing watercourses to overflow onto natural flood plains. The flood plain must be allowed to flood naturally at times of high water level. No cultivation within 12 m of the banks. Flood plain management payment is additional to payments to manage specific habitats within the flood plain. A collaborative approach. • This 5-year commitment pays £39 per hectare per year. Capital costs may also be claimed.

28. Option: Woodland Creation Supports creation of new woods using a mixture of the six choices of woods. Deliver one or more of the following outcomes: • increase carbon sequestration • provide opportunities for public access • contribute to native woodland expansion • develop woodland habitat networks to improve biodiversity • improve water quality • improve derelict, underused and neglected land • develop a sustained yield of suitable raw material.

29. Planting proposals should be consistent with published regional woodland strategies. Riparian woodland must contribute to native woodland Habitat Action Plan expansion targets. Woodland Creation Map submitted with proposal.

30. What costs will be supported? • Where planting is on agricultural or abandoned agricultural land, support (per ha per yr for 5 yrs) provided for tree maintenance. • Annual Farmland Premium per hectare to cover the loss of agricultural income for either 10 or 15 years will be available for planting on agricultural land.

32. Capital payment grants are available for the activities listed below. • Deer fence - £4.83 per metre • Enhancing/modifying deer fence (in black grouse & capercaillie areas) - £3.50 per metre • Gate for deer fence - £119/each • Additional Community Woodland Contribution is: £1000/ ha • Payments up to 200 hectares of land planted in the SRDP 2007-13 period.

33. Package: Native Woodlands and Associated Habitats and Species Supports maintenance or restoration of native and ancient, semi-natural, high biodiversity woodlands. Intense deer browsing and sheep grazing, as well as invasive non-native species, has impacted negatively on the condition of native woodland.

34. Suitable Options to implement the Native Woodlands and Associated Habitats and Species Package in Wester Ross include the following. Options shown in the top list will always deliver the desired outcomes. Options in the bottom list will help achieve outcome in specific circumstances and an explanation of why these have been chosen will be required.

35. Woodland Creation • Sustainable management of forests - Areas of native woodland • Sustainable management of forests - Livestock removal • Woodland improvement grant - Long-term forest planning • Woodland improvement grant - Improving priority woodland habitats and species • Woodland improvement grant - Reducing deer impact • Control of invasive non-native species - Rhododendron control

36. Woodland Creation - native woodland • Woodland Creation - Broadleaf woodland • Sustainable management of forests - Areas of high levels of public access • Sustainable management of forests - Restructuring felling • Sustainable management of forests - LISS • Woodland improvement grant - Improving even-aged woodland diversity • Woodland improvement grant - Improving priority non-woodland habitats • Management of ancient wood pasture - Rough grazing • Management of ancient wood pasture - In-bye land • Management of habitat mosaics

37. Option: Sustainable Management of Forests - Areas of Native WoodlandOption: Sustainable Management of Forests - Livestock removal Support to sustainably manage forests and woodlands of high environmental value such as native woodland and plantation on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) with or without cattle grazing and woodland with a high level of access use.

38. Require an approved Forest Plan with: Area of native woodland and areas in which management work will take place; area where domestic livestock will be removed and; area subject to high levels of access. Describe the present ecological condition and the proposed management work to improve it. This should address stand structure, regeneration, herbivore impacts, species composition and threats and damage.

39. Support Requires provision of a budget for the work proposed which demonstrates that support is a contribution to costs. Additional support will be provided for the removal of domestic livestock from areas of native woodland for10 years.

40. Rates 1. Management of areas of native woodlands: £28/hectare/year for up to 10 years 2. Management of areas subject to high levels of access: £28/hectare/year for up to 10 years 3. Removal of domestic livestock from native woodland: £41/hectare/year for up to 10 years

41. Option: Woodland improvement grant - Long-term forest planning • Option: Woodland improvement grant - Improving priority woodland habitats and species • Option: Woodland improvement grant - Reducing deer impact

42. For the environmental improvement of woodlands which: deliver long-term forest plans; reduce deer impact; target species under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and UKBAP; improve even-aged woodland by restructuring age and species, and; improve non-woodland habitats within woodlands. Forest Plan required.

43. Long-Term Forest Planning • Submit a 'concept map' to illustrate the key issues being addressed by the Forest Plan • Carry out a scoping exercise and include the Scoping Report as part of the Forest Plan

44. Reducing Deer Impact • Create a deer management plan (DMP). • If fencing assess risks and mitigate. Deer culling may be necessary. • Areas in receipt of grants for deer control under: Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme; Sustainable Management of Forests - Areas of native woodland, and; Sustainable Management of Forests - Areas of LISS are ineligible.

45. Improving Woodland Habitats and Species • For native woodland, provide a brief summary describing the condition of woodland, and describing the proposed 'direction of travel' for stand structure, regeneration, herbivore impact, species composition and threats. • Show proposals will benefit specific habitats or species that are under the UK BAP.

46. Restructuring Regeneration • Forest Plan. • Replant at stocking densities equivalent to the requirements for new woodland creation.

47. Improving Non-Woodland Habitats • Show how proposals will benefit priority habitats under the UKBAP. • Up to 20% of the woodland area can be non-woodland and associated open ground habitat

48. List of supported costs are available

49. Package: Reducing Diffuse Pollution • Good water quality will maintain and enhance biodiversity and environmental conditions on farmland and in the waters which drain from farms. • This package supports actions which are needed under existing water legislation and codes of good practice to reduce losses of pollutants through the implementation of options.

50. Suitable Options to implement the Reducing Diffuse Pollution Package in Wester Ross include the following.